Retort for the distillation of solid carbonaceous substances



6 sheets sheet l C. H. PARKER Filed April 26, 1928 Inventor m Parker y a), 2. sou-0 4 (Attorney.

Jan. 29, 1935.

RETORT FOR THE DISTILLATION OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Fig.5.

Jan. 29, 1935. c. H. PARKER 1,989,459

RETORT FOR THE DISTILLATION OFSOLTD CARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Filed April 26, 1928 6 SheetSTSheet. 2

Fig. 1.

Inventor 61 [iParker y lr/XS- 01.44

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Jan. 29, 1935. c. H. PARKER 1,989,459

RETORT FOR THE DISTILLATION OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Filed April 26, 1928 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor 6'. [7. Parker y I); i Ma .fltlorfwy.

Jan. 29, 1935. c. H. PARKER 1,989,459

RETORT FOR THE DISTILLATION OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Filed April 26, 1928 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor J CHPaz-kvr flliorlmy.

Jan. 29, 1935. c. H. PARKER 1,989,459

RETORT FOR THE DISTILLAT ION OF SOLID CARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Filed April 26, 1928 6 Sheeis-Sheet 5 Fig.3..

C. H. PARKER Jan. 29, 1935.

RETORT FOR THE *DISTILLATION OF SOLID GARBONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Filed April 26, 1928 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 UNITED srars 'Nr OFFICE -RE'E'OBIH. FOR THE DESTILLATION OF SOLID CONACEOUS SUBSTANCES Charles Henry Parker, Codsall, England, assignor to Low Temperature @arbonisation Limited, London, England Application April 26, 1928, Serial No. 273,089 In Great Britain April 27, 1927 This invention relates to retorts for the distil-' According to the invention, moreover, the relation or carbonization of solid carbonaceous subcuperator may conveniently take the form of a stances, such as coal, and the invention has series of parallel pipes connected together by among its objects to construct a setting by which bends at the adjacent upper ends and by suitable heat may be simply and efiectively applied to the bends formed as base supporting fittings at the 5 retorts and with economy in the utilization of lower end, so that thus a recuperator is constructthe gaseous fuel employed, and in such manner ed of a zigzag form into which, at the lower end, that the respective parts of the plant, such for air from an air supply pipe may be admitted to example, as the retorts and recuperators, may which it may be supp ied y a Whilethe last be conveniently mounted in the setting and be lengths of the pipes of the recuperator may be 10 capable of convenient withdrawal when repairs p v d d W h fittings y which t e a r iS fo ced r re e l ar to be ade, into the air inlet passage hereinbefore referred The invention has for an especial object to em to, which is disposed beneath the central wall of sure the substantially uniform and economic apthe respective combustion chambers, so that thus plication of heat to the walls of the retorts. Bach recuperatol y pp y a d 9-11 to the 15 The invention is especially applicable to veradjacent opp ely disposed combustion chamtical retorts of oblong cross-section that are disbers of the parallel series. posed in parallel series in the same setting and in According to th i v nt n, moreover, su h a which the rgtorts are charged and discharged perecuperator is SO mounted Within the recuperator riodically. chamber that free expansion of the parts of the 20 According t t invention th setting js.prorecuperator may take place and that the parts vided with two series of alternate retort chambers may be readily exchanged spected. and substantially co-extensive combustion cham- The invention further Comprises the features hers and with a series of recuperator chambers 0f COIlStIllCtiOH hereinafter described.

5 in position beside the series of retort chambers A Construction Of Setting o p s e t 5 and combustion chambers, one series of recuperchambers, Combustion Chambers, a d ecup ator ator chambers being advantageously provided for Chambers, i accordance w th the invention is 11- two adjacent and parallel series of alternate relustmted in the accompanying drawings y Way tort and combustion chambers. of p According t th i v ti moreover, th Figures 1 and 1A are an elevation of the set- 30 bustionchambers consist of a vertically disposed ting, Pa y in Section the line o massive central wall and two parallel lateral walls lire v on each side of t central wall, and so disposed Figures 2 and 2A are a cross-sectional elevation as to leave at each side of the central wall a space 011 the line of u e 4- 5 extending the length of the combustion chamber Figure 3 is an elevation, p i y in ect on on up which the flames and the hot gases may pass. the line of u e 4- The central wall is advantageously perforated, Figure 4 is a Sectional plan on the line 4-4 while-the lateral walls of the combustion chamof Figure bers are provided of box bricks, that is to say, of Figure 5 is a detail Sectional View, to an en- 40 b i k having a cavity disposed t one of th i larged scale, of the lower portion of one of the 40 sides, the cavities of the bricks being all disposed cflmhustion Chambersin the lateral walls in position opposite to the In Carrying the invention into t, n 8 0- respective retorts. cordance with the construction represented in According to the invention the brickwork at the t drawings, the Setting iS P o ded of Substanbase of the central and lateral walls of the comtially rectangular o and is built of brick- 45 bustion chambers is provided with a horizontally o up a Su tab e metal framework. It comdisposed ir inlet passage into which heated air prises two series of alternate combustion or heatmaybe admitted from apipe recuperator disposed ns ch mbe a a d e t m e s b, with an in the adjacent recuperator chamber, while in intermediate series of recuperator' chambers c.

position, immediately above a horizontally dis- The combustion chambers-and recuperator cham- 5 posed gas passage may extend at the lower part bers are arranged in communication, in such or the combustion chamber and gas may be dismanner that the gases of combustion from the charged therefrom into the spaces between the combustion chambers pass into the recuperator central and lateral walls of the combustion chamchambers, and thence away to a chimney .or chimher through passages provided at intervals. neys provided in determined positions advantageously at one end of the setting through which the waste gases eventually pass from the recuperator chambers, the recuperators serving for the pre-heating of the combustion air by. the waste heat of the combustion gases and the residual waste gases which are discharged at a relatively low temperature.

The retort and combustion chambers are alternately disposed one beside the other in series between the outer walls d of the setting and two parallel disposed longitudinal intermediate walls e spaced apart, and tied by transverse walls 6 disposed at intervals to form the recuperator chambers c. Ports or passages c are provided at the upper ends of the recuperator chambers c communicating with the upper ends of the adjacent and oppositely disposed combustion chambers a, while the transverse walls e between the respective recuperator chambers are formed at the lower ends with openings e below arches serving for the support of the walls e whereby communication is made between the respective recuperator chambers c and with the chimney by which the waste gases pass away. The retorts b which advantageously comprise units, each consisting of a number of integrally formed tubular retort chambers, are mounted within the retort chambers b upon metal base fittings b and the adjacent base fittings b are carried in pairs upon metal supporting frame parts b mounted upon the metal framework of the setting. The air passages 11 and gas passages a of the combustion chambers are formed in the manner hereinafter described, of brickwork substantially supported by the supporting frame parts I) and disposed between the base fittings b. The lateral walls A of the combustion chambers, which serve as heat transmission walls between the combustion chambers and the retort chambers, to heat the latter, are built of tiers of hollow box bricks a of rectangular formation, that is to say, of bricks each having a cavity formed therein, the bricks being disposed with their side and end walls in abutting engagement with each other and so that their cavities open through that side of the wall facing the adjacent retort chambers, while the thin walls forming the bottoms of the cavities in the bricks are located at the side of the wall A facing adjacent the combustion chambers. By such an arrangement of the bricks, thin partitions are thus presented at the closed sides of the cavities between the combustion chambers and the retort chambers through which the heat can be conducted rapidly, thus obviating the necessity of a high temperature difference between the combustion chambers and the retort chambers and facilitating the transmission of heat between the same. The box bricks a are advantageously tied with or built at intervals into the end walls of the retort chambers. The bricks also may be so set that at intervals communicating openings are provided adjacent the said walls, that is to say, the outer walls d, and the intermediate walls e, forming passages be-. tween the retort chambers and the combustion chambers. The combustion chamber further comprises a centrally disposed wall serving as a reservoir or accumulator of heat, and comprising superposed courses of refractory bricks a the bricks in each course being spaced apart to form openings through the wall. The said wall terminates at the level of the passages 0 communicating with the recuperator chambers c, and is formed at the head with a course of bricks a which extend in proximity with the surface of the lateral walls formed by the bricks a A similar course of bricks a may be advantageously provided at an intermediate position in the height of the wall.

The middle wall of the combustion chamber is supported at the foot upon suitably shaped hollow blocks of rectangular cross-section a which serve for the formation of the gas inlet passage of the combustion chamber. The said blocks a are advantageously provided in sections or lengths having, on opposite vertical end faces respectively, grooves and ribs by which a positive engagement or interlocking of adjacent blocks may be effected when they are brought into position in line to form a continuous passage. Each block is provided in the lateral walls with an outlet a" by which the gas may pass into the combustion chamber. The gas passage is formed in position immediately above the air passage in the setting, the blocks a, by which the gas passage is formed being supported at opposite sides by the brickwork which is spaced apart as at a for the formation of the air passage. The air passage extends horizontally throughout the width of the combustion chamber, and at intervals upwardly directed passages a are formed which are continued as passages a at the sides of the lower parts of the blocks a", where the said blocks are seated between brickwork supporting the lateral walls of the combustion chamber. The gas outlets a are advantageously disposed adjacent or intermediate of the air passages (1 The lower part of the respective spaces between the middle wall and the lateral walls of the combustion chambers is contracted by the blocks a, of which the gas passage is formed, and the gas and air pass upwardly through the restricted space, the hot gases being deflected against the lateral walls by the upwardly protruding portions of the bricks 11*".

As illustrated in Figure 5, the box bricks a of which the lateral walls are formed are advantageously provided on their opposite upper and lower faces respectively with grooves and ribs, so that a positive engagement of the bricks is ensured. The bricks of which the walls and setting are built, however, are secured together by a luting of refractory character.

The outer walls of the setting are preferably formed of red brick as at f, lined with non-conducting brickwork 1 which in turn is lined with fire-brick f forming the outer end walls of the combustion and retort chambers. At the upper ends the retort and combustion chambers are closed by similar brickwork lined with interlocking tiles which are adapted to embrace the upper ends of the retort and are provided in such manner that they may be readily removed.

Each recuperator is formed of a heating coil comprising a series of parallel pipes 0 connected together in pairs by bends 0 the bends at the lower end being provided with base plates by which the recuperator elements may be supported upon the floor of the recuperator chamber. In this manner the recuperator affords a zig-zag path for the combustion air which is introduced through the inlet fitting 0 from the air supply pipe c to which it may be supplied by a fan. The air is discharged from the recuperator into the air passage a by way of the discharge fitting c which is provided with an outlet of rectangular form to correspond with the opening provided in the wall e leading to the air passage. The fitting 0 is supported upon a brickwork pedestal c". It will be understood that each recuperator chamber contains two sets of pipes forming the recuperator, each set serving to" supply the air pasage of one of the two adjacent combustion chambers.

side of the wall and closed at the opposite side of the wall so as to reduce the cross-sectional thickness of the bricks at the latter-named side of the By the construction of the recuperator in the wall manner described, the recuperator elements are permitted to expand freely and at the same time the parts of the recuperator may be readily inspected or exchanged. The recuperator chambers are closed at the upper end by arched covers c comprising metal frames filled with brickwork, two such covers advantageously serving to clwe each recuperator chamber.

It will be understood that by the t of combustion chambers, retort chambers, and recuperator chambers hereinbefore described, means are provided whereby heat is uniformly applied to the walls of the retorts at opposite sides, and whereby the residual heat of the hot gases is effectively utilized in preheating the combustion air by the downward passage through the recuperator chambers of the hot gases on their discharge from the combustion chambers.

In the case of the combustion chambers at the ends of the settings, in place of the middle wall, there may be provided a corresponding lining of fire-brick within the fire-brick lining f before referred to, and positioned above the gas passage a. Thus the said combustion chambers are provided only with one combustion space, and the gas and air are discharged only from one side of the transversely disposed gas and air inlet passages. The gas supply to the gas passages, formed by the blocks a, is eifected by way of piping 9 provided with suitable valves and connected to a gas supply pipe g The delivery portion of the pipe 9 may extend to the middle of the width of the combustion chamber. Alternative arrangements for the delivery of gas may, however, be provided.

The retorts b are closed at the upper end by hoods b from which the gas off-take b is carried to the hydraulic main it, while the lower ends of the retorts are closed by cover plates I) adapted to swing about spindles b for the delivery of the treated charge into a closed receptacle 1 in which the distillation may be continued and completed, or in which the charge may be cooled. The said chamber 2 may be provided with a gas off-take 12 adapted to deliver gas into the hydraulic main h. The oppositely disposed receptacles i have their respective outer faces inclined inwardly towards an outlet i closed by a pivoted closure plate z. The outlets fof the oppositely disposed receptacles are adapted to deliver the contents of the receptacles on to inclined delivery plates 7', whence the treated charge may be delivered on to a conveyor or into trucks for removal.

I claim:--

1. A furnace of the character described having a retort chamber, a combustion heating chamber therefor, and a heat transmission wall separating said chambers, said wall being built of tiers of hollow bricks, the cavities in the bricks being open at the side of the wall facing the retort chamber and closed at the side of the wall facing the combustion chamber so as to reduce the cross-sectional thickness of the bricks at the latter-named side of the wall.

2. A furnace of the character described having a retort chamber, a combustion heating chamber therefor, and a heat transmission wall separating said chambers, said wall being built of tiers of hollow bricks, the cavities in said bricks extending a major portion of the length and breadth of the bricks and opening outwardly through one 3. A furnace of the character described having a pair of spaced retort chambers and an intervening combustion chamber, and heat transmission walls separating the combustion chamber from the respective retort chambers,-each of said walls comprising tiers of rectangular bricks provided with cavities opening outwardly at the side of the wall facing the adjacent retort chamber and being closed at the side of the wall facing the combustion chamber and reducing the cross-sectional thickness of the bricks at the latter-named side of the wall.

4. A furnace of the character described having a retort chamber, a combustion heating chamber therefor, a heat transmission wall separating said chambers, said wall being built of tiers of bricks each provided with a cavity extending a major portion of the breadth of the bricks and opening outwardly through one side of the wall and closed at the opposite side of the wall so as to reduce the cross-sectional thickness of the bricks at the latter-named side of the wall, a heat storing baffle wall of material thickness extending from the bottom of the combustion chamber a major portion of the distance toward the top of the combustion chamber in parallel relation to and spaced from the heat transmission wall, and bafiling means carried by said heat storing bailie wall and projecting into the space between the same and the heat transmission wall to retard the iiow of combustion gases through said space and deflect the same against the heat transmission wall.

5. A furnace of the character described having a retort chamber, a combustion heating chamber therefor, a heat transmission wall separating said chambers, said well being built of tiers of bricks each provided with a cavity extending a major portion of the breadth of the bricks and opening outwardly through one side of the wall and closed at the opposite side of the wall so as to reduce the cross-sectional thickness of the bricks at the latter-named side of the wall, a heat storing bafile wall of material thickness extending from the bottom of the combustion chamber a major portion of the distance toward the top of the combustion chamber in parallel relation to'and spaced from the heat transmission wall, and baffling members projecting at different elevations from the heat storing baflle wall into the space between the same and the heat transmission wall to retard the flow of combustion gases through said space and deflect the same against the heat trans mission wall.

6. A furnace of the character described having a pair of spaced retort chambers, a combustion heating chamber for the retort chambers disposed between said retort chambers, a heat transmission wall separating the combustion heating chamber from each retort chamber, said wall being built of tiers of bricks each provided with a cavity extending a major portion of the length and breadth of the bricks and opening outwardlyby said-heat storing baiile wall and projecting intoto and spaced from the heat transmission walls. a

brickwork base forming a bottom support for the r the spaces between said walls and the heat transmission walls to retard the, flow of combustion gases therethrough and deflect the same against the heat transmission walls.

7. A furnace of the characterdescribed having a pair of spaced retort chambers, a combustion heating chamber for the retort chambers disposed between said retort chambers, a heat transmission wall separating each retort chamber from the combustion chamber, said wall being built of tiers of bricks each provided with a cavity extending a major portion of the length and breadth of the bricks and opening outwardly through one side of the wall and closed at the opposite side of the wall so as to reduce the cross-sectional thickness of the bricks at the latter-named side of the wall, a heat storing baflle wall of material thickness extending upwardly from the bottom of the combustion heating chamber a major portion of the distance toward the top of said chamber in parallel relation to the heat transmission walls and spaced therefrom, said heat storing baflle wall beingprovided with transverse openings for the flow of combustion gases therethrough between said spaces, and baiilingmeans upon said heat storing baflle wall projecting into said spaces to retard the flow of the combustion gases therethrough and deflect the same against the heat transmission walls.

8. A fumace of the character described having a pair 01' retort chambers, a combustion heating heat transmission walls and having an air supply conduit iormed therein, and a gas fuel supply conduit comprising hollow-blocks resting on said brickwork base and having gas supply ports communicating with the bottom portions of the spaces between the heat transmission and heat storing baflle wall, said brickwork base being provided with. air supply passages leading from the air supply.

conduit to and communicating with the bottom portions of said spaces on opposite sides ot-the fuel gas supply conduit.

9. A furnace of the character described comsupply conduit formed therein and provided with spaced air supply passages leading therefrom to the bottom of the combustion heating chamber; 

